Read and be loved

Feeling charitable? Want to do something noble with your time? Well, if cheering up little kids is up your alley, then we have just the thing for you. Priyanka Singh writes.

Feeling charitable? Want to do something noble with your time? Well, if cheering up little kids is up your alley, then we have just the thing for you.

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A storyteller programme for patients in the children’s ward, the Uday Foundation is looking for volunteers to read out to kids. You don’t have to be an expert. You don’t even have to be very well read yourself. All you need is to take an hour out of your busy schedule.

And anyone can opt to read — students, professionals and celebrities.

Rahul Verma, managing trustee and founder, says, “Being an NGO working for children with birth defects, we know how scared a child feels in hospitals. For some, visiting frequently becomes a nightmare. Our storyteller programme aims to ease off the trauma of children.”

Apart from story telling, volunteers can also organise different activities such as drawing, singing, playing games, performing plays, etc.

An entirely non profit venture, the NGO has already received over 200 requests from students, teachers, journalists, film and TV actors for volunteering as storytellers. Verma says, “Storytelling has been well-researched for its therapeutic effects on children and it is known to provide metaphors to life situations. The process of being read out to often helps children deal with their current emotional states.”